PART 1: HAVE WE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION?

Whether we realise it or not, all of the body of Christ are called to be watchmen to some degree. Jesus told us to 'watch' for a reason: Mark 13v35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming. v37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” We are specifically to watch because we do not know when Christ returns, and the Lord wants us to be ready when He does (not only ready in the sense of our following of Him and being rightly related to Him, but also in terms of our usefulness in our using of the talents He has given us, and not burying them in the ground).

Some mess around with the clear reading of scripture and whether they intend to or not, rob themselves of an important calling which Christ Himself gave the whole body of Christ (believing they don't have to watch for the signs of the times or be ready for Christ's return). This 'watching' is a watching for the signs of the times by watching the world both for what men and Christ are doing, in order to be prepared for His return. And it is a watching so that we will be able to be the most effective for serving Christ in the hear and now (serving His specific purposes), and most effectively be able to respond to what Jesus is doing on the earth now:

Luke 12v54 Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. 55 And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

Matthew 16v…3: You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Because the Pharisees and also many of the multitude that listened to Jesus in this passage did not rightly discern the time they were in, by rightly discern the signs of the times, they did not understand who they listened to in fact was Jesus Himself, the Son of God! Therefore, not only could they not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but they stopped themselves from being able to learn from Jesus Himself face to face, and they stopped themselves from learning what He would have them do for Him and the Kingdom (robbing themselves of being able to live and serve to one day gain eternal fruit and rewards). Jesus was in fact trying to speak to the people about the most important things they would ever hear through the signs of the times, but many did not want to listen or did not have the wisdom to understand that they needed to listen or needed to interpret the signs. Often because we are living more fleshly than spiritually, we miss something crucial or at least extremely important that Jesus is wanting to say to us- not just to benefit us and secure us now, but also to benefit and secure us for eternity.

Other reasons God wants us to watch will follow, God willing, in Part 2.